When Tenino senior Robert Marti went on an official campus visit to Pacific Lutheran, the football team stopped practice to come introduce themselves. It immediately made Marti feel at home and was one of the deciding factors in him choosing the Lutes instead of the University of Puget Sound and Pacific University.
“It was way nicer and better than the other schools; the team atmosphere and everything was amazing,” Marti said.
Marti officially committed to the Lutes on Tuesday in the commons area of Tenino High School in front of a crowd of students with his football teammates at his side.
Marti, who boasts a 3.98 GPA and was a 1A wrestling academic state champ as a junior with a 3.97 GPA, was also offered a $30,000 Presidential Scholarship Award by PLU, which was an added bonus.
“Also, since they gave me the best scholarship out of all of then, I chose to go to PLU,” Marti said. “The team just seemed like the best choice and I got the best scholarship.”
Marti made a name for himself around the 1A Evergreen Conference the last four years causing fits for opposing offenses. He will likely be named as an all-league defensive lineman for the fourth time when the teams get announced Tuesday night.
He remembers how hard football was during his first varsity game as a freshman against rival Rochester. It didn’t take long for the game to get easier for Marti, who transformed himself into a weight-room beast the last four years. Tenino football coach Cary Nagel said he doesn’t miss a single weight-room workout. He lifted each morning with the football team during the season, then at school during weight-lifting class and each evening at home.
Marti was equally ferocious on the wrestling mat, advancing to the state tournament as a freshman, sophomore and placing fifth at state as a junior. While there will be no state tournament his senior season due to the pandemic, it’s safe to say he would have likely made it four-straight tournament appearances this season had the tourney gone on.
For now, he’s looking forward to wrestling this spring before heading to PLU and joining his new football teams.
“It seemed like a good place with good people,” Marti said. “I’ll be getting more in shape, having fun and enjoying the experience.”
